Gardening used to be for those with a green thumb, but many people are now realizing the benefits of creating a self-sustaining garden at home. Reaping the rewards of a healthier lifestyle and protecting the environment in the process makes sustainable gardening a wonderful activity to engage in.
Introduction – Sustainable Gardening
In recent times, people have become far more aware of the damaging impacts of climate change on our natural environment. As we learn more about ways to reduce our carbon footprint, many are choosing to make changes in their lives to adopt practices that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce pollution, and contribute to animal and plant biodiversity. One of the ways that numerous people are choosing to do their bit for the environment is by engaging in sustainable gardening practices in their very own backyards.
What’s the meaning of sustainable?
Interestingly, there is currently no universally agreed definition of what sustainability actually means. According to Dictionary.com, the word sustainable means to be ‘supported, upheld or confirmed’. Recently, the term ‘sustainable’ has been used in reference to the process through which humans can protect natural resources and maintain balance within ecosystems. This is important because maintaining our quality of life in the future is strongly dependent on our ability to preserve and protect our ecosystem. Dr Daniel Christian Wahl is the author of Designing Regenerative Cultures and he refers to sustainability as ‘the underlying pattern of health, resilience, and adaptability that maintain this planet in a condition where life as a whole can flourish’. In essence – sustainability includes a long-term vision for the protection of our planet.
What does sustainable gardening mean?
Sustainable gardening is just one method of protecting our planet – but over time it has become more and more popular for it’s lifestyle benefits as well. Through the practice of sustainable gardening, individuals work to enhance or improve our planet or at the very least purpose to do no harm.
Sustainable gardening does not just involve planting a few things here and there. It is a deeply thoughtful process where gardeners use carefully selected native plants, shrubs and trees to create beautiful gardens that improve soil quality and benefit our environment.
Sustainable gardening is sometimes referred to as self-sufficient gardening and can involve the growing of fruits, vegetables, grass and shrubs in a way that does not require the use of harmful pesticides. A sustainable garden also becomes continuous over time as it is sustained naturally by collecting and using organic elements such as seeds, soil, water and sunlight. Many sustainable gardeners also focus on recycling their garden waste through composting or establishing worm farms. You can learn more about sustainable gardening here: Sustainable Gardening: It’s All The Rage! | Planet Natural
Why is sustainable gardening important?
Sustainable gardening is just one way to protect the environment for future generations and ensure that our natural resources can continue to be used to provide adequate sustenance for people into the future. With our world demonstrating more signs of wear and tear, there has been a shift towards going ‘green’ and living healthier lives – growing organic, pesticide-free fruits and vegetables at home is becoming more and more popular. Sir David Attenborough has spoken widely about the fact that National Parks will never be enough for preserving our biodiversity and stresses that urban gardens and parklands are also important places for practicing conservation.
There is a great sense of accomplishment that comes from growing your own food. Whilst some individuals engage in gardening as a hobby, it is also a great way to connect with nature and give back to the local ecosystem. Organic, home-grown fruits and vegetables are not only good for our environment, but they also taste better and are usually more nutritious. Since the mass-production of foods typically involves the use of harmful chemicals for growing and preserving them, they just don’t have the same health benefits of organically grown foods.
Developing a self-sustainable garden will also have additional benefits like reducing waste in local landfill, minimizing water usage and limiting the spread of invasive plant species that are not native to the environment. There really are just so many benefits associated with sustainable gardening and you can learn more about these by accessing the following link. Environmental Benefits of Organic Gardening – Gardening Channel
How do you make a garden sustainable?
Creating a sustainable garden can be as simple or complex as you like. Whether you are planting your first garden or looking for ways to make an existing garden more eco-friendly – sustainable gardening can be for anyone.
To ensure that your garden is developed in a sustainable way, here are a few ideas and tips to consider;
- Choose the right plants. Many sustainable gardeners encourage the use of native plants that attract local wildlife and are appropriate to the regional weather conditions.
- Make your own compost. Composting is a fantastic way to dispose of food scraps and create a natural fertilizer for your garden. Composting might sound overwhelming but here is some great advice for getting started. Composting: How to Make Compost using Tumblers & Bins | Eartheasy Guides & Articles | Eartheasy Guides & Articles
- Save your seeds. As your garden grows, you will be able to collect seeds to use the following year for regenerating your garden.
- Use mulch. Mulching is very important for creating a healthy garden as it will help to retain moisture in the soil – leading to less water waste. Mulching also helps in the control of weeds and can prevent erosion or runoff.
- Avoid chemical usage. There are a number of sustainable alternatives to using toxic chemicals to protect your garden from pests. Check out this website for natural pest control options. Organic Pest Control – How To Make Natural Pesticides (gardeningknowhow.com)
Summary of Sustainable Gardening
Creating a sustainable garden at home is good for you, good for the planet and good for future generations. The environmental benefits of sustainable gardening are very clear, but you might also find that developing your own self-sustaining garden brings feelings of accomplishment and joy. It is no secret that getting out in nature has wonderful benefits for the body and mind so developing a sustainable garden might be just the thing you need to get some ‘green’ in your life.
